The new government has unveiled 40 bills in today’s King’s Speech, including setting out planning to introduce legislation on retail crime, HFSS and banning “exploitative” working practices.
The government has today brought forward amendments to the Crime and Policing Bill, including adding legislation designed to “tackle retail crime” by creating a new specific offence of assaulting a shopworker and introducing “stronger measures to tackle low-level shoplifting”.
The amendment is almost identical to the one put forward under the previous government, but it was abandoned when former prime minister Rishi Sunak dissolved parliament and called an election.
Today’s announcement has been met with near-universal praise from the retail sector.
Tesco boss Ken Murphy said: “We welcome this early commitment from the government to protect shop workers and the inclusion of a standalone offence in the King’s Speech. Retail colleagues are the backbone of the everyday economy, and they deserve to feel safe at work. It is right that the government, police and business come together to collectively send the strongest signal that these crimes will not be tolerated.”
Helen Dickinson, chief executive of the British Retail Consortium, said: “The King’s Speech lays out the foundations for a more modern, dynamic British economy, and retailers look forward to playing their part in bringing this to life. The breadth of the retail industry means that many of these bills impact retailers and their customers, and we look forward to working closely with government to maximise the industry’s contribution.
“We particularly welcome explicit bills to reform the apprenticeship levy and planning laws; tackle retail crime and antisocial behaviour; and accelerate the country’s clean energy transition. We acknowledge that this is just the first step in the legislative process and we look forward to working with the government on all these bills.”
C-store specialist the Co-op, which has long lobbied for this kind of legislation and worked with the dissolved nations to introduce something similar in Scotland, called today’s King’s Speech a “crowning moment” for shopworkers and communities in the rest of the UK.
Co-op director of campaigns and public affairs Paul Gerrard said: “Today’s news marks a seismic shift in the crackdown on retail crime, and will send a clear and powerful message to those who think it is acceptable to attack, assault or abuse shopworkers that, put quite simply, the law does not accept this behaviour and, it will now make it easier and much more straightforward for the authorities to investigate and prosecute – which means all shopworkers will be safer.
“We know it will make a difference because in Scotland – where they have had the standalone offence since 2021 – we see 60% of incidents of violence and abuse towards shopworkers (that are reported to the police) resulting in arrest, while in England and Wales, without that standalone offence, the figure is just 10%.”
Nisa managing director Peter Batt said: “It’s encouraging to see the introduction of a standalone offence for assaulting retail workers, especially after much campaigning from industry. However, it is crucial that independent retailers are included in these protections and are able to share in the additional police resourcing.
“The 2024 Association of Convenience Stores (ACS) Crime Report revealed 87% of colleagues in convenience stores, many of which are independently owned, faced verbal abuse, including around 76,000 violent incidents against retail staff. Independent shops play a vital role on our high streets and deserve the same protection and support. We must ensure that all retail workers, including those in independent stores, feel safe and protected. Let’s not leave them behind.”
James Lowman, ACS chief executive, said: “We strongly welcome the government’s commitment to take action on the assaults of retail workers, which local shops have been calling for over many years. We are also encouraged by the specific reference to tackling shoplifting, which is the blight of so many communities and funds the activity of gangs, addicts and dangerous criminals.”
The other bills impacting retail
There appears to also be something akin to the HFSS (High Fat, Sugar and Salt) legislation half-passed under the previous government, albeit substantially watered down during the Johnson premiership.
The government said it would restrict advertising of junk food to children, along with the sale of high-caffeine energy drinks to children. This seems to be at least part of a wider Tobacco and Vapes Bill which will also progressively increase the age at which people can buy cigarettes and impose limits on the sale and marketing of vapes.
A provision in the Children’s Wellbeing Bill introduces legislation to limit the number of branded items of uniform and PE kits that a school can require “to bring down costs for parents and remove a barrier for children accessing sport and other school activities”.
The government also introduced the Employment Rights Bill banning “exploitative zero-hour contracts’ to end the “scourge of ‘fire and rehire’ and ‘fire and replace’ practices”. The legislation will also enshrine flexible working from day one for all workers, establish the Fair Work Agency – a single enforcement body for workplace rights – and establishes a Fair Pay Agreement for care workers.
Last but not least is the Product Safety and Metrology Bill, which is intended to update the rules on product safety and weights and measures, to ensure the UK can “keep pace with technological change and product innovation post-Brexit”.
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